Welp, Apple might be in trouble again.
But this time the most valuable company on Earth is facing attack from two different fronts.
The first one I’ll outline is that the feds are after them….possibly.
“Despite its popularity with users, Apple has attracted mounting criticism from app makers, rivals and policymakers who have accused the company of locking users in and of forcing competitors to accept restrictive terms to reach Apple’s users,” CNN reports
The App Store is one of a few facets coming under investigation, as is the famous ‘You’re texting a filthy Android user‘ green.
While Apple is still only under investigation, the FTC has made moves against the potential Albertsons/Kroger merger, also under the banner of antitrust laws recently, and it’s not impossible for the Commission to bring the hammer down, as they act as both judge and prosecutor in these cases.
On the flip side, another case involving consumers may be mounting at the same time.
The Hill went into a proposed class action suit against Apple alleging a “digital storage monopoly” held over users of its products.
The beef is that Apple gear isn’t fully brand agnostic when it comes to running other storage programs. Nick Robertson writes:
“iCloud is the only service that can host certain data from the company’s phones, tablets and computers, including application data and device settings. Plaintiffs allege the practice has “unlawfully ‘tied’” the devices and iCloud together.
‘Apple has marked up its iCloud prices to the point where the service is generating almost pure profit. Apple’s ability to sustain these prices is a testament to its monopoly power,’ the suit said.”
It’s like a digital Walmart that way.
What can these prospective lawsuits tell us about growing a company? Obviously even the maximum fines and settlements in the hundreds of millions won’t kill this giant. But smaller businesses would do well to make sure they stay well on the right side of the law—if only because the hammer that’ll barely scratch Apple’s edifice would completely crush someone smaller.
A strong sense of business ethics keeping people on their toes would be nice too, of course. Just saying.
You can't spell "Together" without TGOT: That Goth Over There. Staff Writer, April Bingham, is that goth; and she's all about building bridges— both metaphorically between artistry and entrepreneurship, and literally with tools she probably shouldn't be allowed to learn how to use.
